Album Review: Wooden Wand – Blood Oaths for the New Blues

Wooden Wand
Blood Oaths for the New Blues
Fire Records

James Jackson Toth is certainly not new to the music scene; Blood Oaths for the New Blues is his thirtieth recording. His wiki page calls him a prolific artist and a major contributor to the New Weird America trend at the beginning of the new millennium. Sadly, the music on this record is surprisingly simple and ordinary. The title suggests a depth and a bluesiness that is simply missing. There are some nice melodies, but each song seems to lack focus. The best song on the album is “Supermoon.” It’s a nice collaboration, and the female voice adds tremendous depth to the recording. A very pleasant listen.

Overall, the biggest drawback to this Folk recording is its lack of lyrical depth. I don’t expect any Folk artist to be Bob Dylan, but it’s nice when they are able to connect the listener to some universal truths, or are able to share images and emotions that move the human heart. This recording doesn’t resemble a prolific artist, but it may fill a void, if you have one.

Greg Kieszkowski (Twitter @GregK72) 

http://woodenwand.org/